Insurance costs were the largest single component of benefit costs in State and local government at 7.9 percent. Health insurance comprised most of this figure. The share of compensation costs going to paid leave, at 7.8 percent, was very similar to the share going to insurance.

Retirement and savings accounted for 6.8 percent of benefit costs, while legally required benefits claimed 5.9 percent. As in the private sector, Social Security costs accounted for the majority of the cost of legally required benefits.

These data are a product of the BLS Employment Cost Trends program. Additional information is available from "Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, 1986-99," (PDF 719K) BLS Bulletin 2526.

Self-employment in the United States
Trends in self-employment by various demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, including both the unincorporated and the incorporated self-employed, as well as data on paid employees who work for the self-employed.